Compressor regulator



W. RAYMOND COMPRESSOR REGULATOR Mrch 2 1926.v

f Filed Jan. 29, 1925 IN1/Ehren W nro/erm O. mwa

Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ucr..

WARD RAYMOND; OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TG PENNSYLVANIA PUMP & COMPRESSOR COMPANY, F EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF rENNsYLvANIA.

CoMPREssoR REGULATOR.

Application led January 29, 1925.

T 0 all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, IARD RAYMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easton, in the county of Northampton and vState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compressor Regulators, of which the following is a specification.k

This invention relates to compressors and more particularly to regulators therefor adapted to maintain the compressor unload ed until it has acquired substantially normal speed, and also tov unload the compressor when a predetermined pressure is reached.

An object of the present invention is to provide an intake closing valve, opened and closed through a centrifugal member, and also to provide relief valves simultaneously operated by the same member to unload the 0 compressor.

A further object is to provide a pilot valve actuated by a centrifugal member. and which in turn admits fluid under pressure to the relief and inlet closing valve to maintain the compressor completely unloaded while the pilot valve is open.

Another' object of the invention is to provide an intake closing valve adapted tobe actuated by either of two unloading devices, one operated by discharge pressure above a predetermined amount, and the other when.

the speed ofthe compressor is below a predetermined limit.

A still further object of the invention is to provide simultaneous acting means to open cylinder relief valves for a compressor, and to close an inlet valve.

lVith the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the features of construction and operation set forth in the fol lowing specification andA illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying. drawing annexed hereto and forming apart of this specification, I have shown my invention embodied in a single cylinder air compressor of me-n dium size, but it will be understood that the inventionv can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to-be construedV as deining or limiting the scope of the invention, 'the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a compres- Serial No. 5,544.

sor provided with the present invention, parts being broken away to more clearly disclose their construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the centrifugal element and pilot valve forming a part of this invention, and

Fig. 3 is a'sectional view of the intake closing valve and regulating means connected thereto.

In the above mentioned drawing I have shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications inay be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

My invention, briefly and in its broadest aspect, comprises the following principal parts: first, an intake closing valve; second, y

two fluid actuated means for closing said valve; third, cylinder relief valves; fourth, a centrifugal element rotating during operaction of the compressor; fifth, a pilot valve; sixth, conduits connecting the pilot valve with said inlet closing and relief valves.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing, I show a compressor cylinder l10, which, in the embodiment selected for illustration, is of the double acting type. The discharge outlet is shown at 11 and the intake passage 12 in which is a valve 13.. This intake valve 13 maybe of the type shown and described in my Patent 1,510,161 granted September 80, 1924i-, Two separate fluid actuated means are provided for clos-y ing the valve 13, which will presently be more fully described. A spring. 14C within the body portion 15 of this inlet valve nor mally holds the valve 13 in its open' position.

Relief valves 16, one of which is shown in section, are provided adjacent each end of the cylinder 10. rlhese valves, when in their open position, permit the fluid within the cylinder 10 to be exhausted through them without compression. These valves 1G also are adapted to be moved to their open,

centrifugal element 21. This member 2l is forced normally to a position nearer the axis of rotation of shaft 20 by a spring 21a and, during operation, the rotative motion of this shaft 20 forces the member 21 away from this position. This movement of the centrifugal element 21 is made to open and close a pilot valve 22. As this mechanism is or may be similar in every way to that disclosed in my copending application 664,942 filed September 26, 1923. further description will be unnecessary. It will be sufficient to state that during starting of the compressor the pilot valve 22 will be open to supply discharge pressure from the receiver by means of a conduit 23 to the conduit 24 leading to the unloaders or relief valves 16. The effect of this will be to 'open the relief valves 16 and thus maintain the compressor unloaded until substantially normal operating speed is reached. At this speed the pilot valve 22 closes, permitting` the relief valves 16 to close and thus start normal operation of the compressor.

Simultaneously with the opening` of the relief valves 16 by fluid pressure supplied through conduit 24, the inlet valve 13 is also closed. By means of a branch conduit 25 fluid under pressure is admitted to a point 26 within the head portion 27 of this valve. As willbe seen by an examination of Fig. 3 this pressure within the head portion 27 forces a piston 28 against the valve member 13 and forces the valve to its closed position against the valve seat 30. The compressor will therefore be completely unloaded so long as pressure exists in the conduit 24. Preferably, and as shown in Fig. 1, a small receiver 31 is inserted in the conduit 24 to increase the amount of fluid in this conduit. As the pilot valve 22 is provided with a small leak port 33, the small receiver 31 maintains pressure within the conduit 24 for a short interval of time after the pilot valve 22 is opened. This permits the compressor to acquire full normal speed before the load is finally put on the compressor.

The inlet valve 13 in addition to the actuating means described above and comprising` the piston 28 may be provided with a conduit 34 extending from the compressor receiver so that the inlet valve 13 will be closed automatically when the receiver pressure is above a predetermined limit. As this operation of the inlet valve 13 is similar in every way to that described in the above mentioned patent, it is not thought that further description will be In operation, as the compressor starts from rest w1th pressure within its receiver,

the relief valves 16 exhaust the fluid within the cylinder 10 and, as the speed is slow, but small relief valves are required. Before the compressor has acquired appreciable speed, the inlet valve 13 has prevented further admission of fluid so that the pressure is reduced below atmosphere. As soon as substantially normal speed has been acquired, the fluid within the conduits 24, 18 and 25 is permitted to leak out, thus permitting` the relief valves 16 to close and the inlet valve 13 to open.

In addition to actuating the unlozulingdevices, fluid pressure within conduit 24 may be admitted by conduit 34 to control a valve 35 in the water circulating pipe 36. By this valve circulating of the cooling Water is discontinued when the compressor is unloaded.

-What I claim is:

1. An unloader valve for a compressor comprising in combination, a body member, a valve therein movement of which controls the loading and unloading of the compressor, and two independent fluid inlet means to close said unloader valve, one of said means being operated by the speed of said compressor and the other controlled by the pressure of the compressed fluid.

2. An inlet closing valve for a compressor comprising in combination, a body member, a valve therein movement of which opens and closes the compressor inlet, a chamber above said valve, a piston within a part of said valve, means admitting fluid for moving said piston and closing said valve, and independent fluid inlet means to close said inlet valve.

3. An inlet closing valve for a compressor comprising in combination, a body mem ber, a valve therein movement of which opens and closes the compressor inlet, a chamber above said valve, a piston within a part of said valve, fluid admitting means for moving said piston and closing` said valve controlled by the speed of said compressor, and independent fluid inlet means to close said inlet valve controlled by the pressure of the fluid compressed.

4. An unloader valve for a compressor comprising in combination, a body member, a valve therein movement of which controls the loading` and unloading of the compressor, a chamber above said valve, a piston moving with said valve, fluid admitting means for moving said piston and closing said valve controlled by the speed of said compressor, and independent fluid inlet means to close said valve controlled by the pressure of the compressed fluid.

In testimony whereof, I hereto aflix my signature.

WARD RAYMOND. 

